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MyFitnessPal Community

Fitness and Caloric Burn

cupotee

Sorry if this has been asked already (I've searched extensively) but

Does fitness decrease caloric burn?

For example, I jog for 10 minutes and am sweaty and ready to pass out. My hypothetical marathon-running body-double runs 10 minutes at the EXACT same pace and doesn't break a sweat. Did we both burn the SAME amount of calories?

Thanks guys

Edit: Let me rephrase. My marathon-running body double does not exist. I was referring to a hypothetical someone with the same height/weight/body fat % BUT a stronger heart haha.

Replies

hyde1977

I am going to say No.....the burn will depend on your height, weight, heart rate etc....I work out with another girl and when we are on the ellipticals, going the same mph and same level of intensity I burn more calories then her (by alot) as I am about 50 pounds heavier. It also depends on your fitness level and how quickly your heart rate increases and decreases.

The best way to understand your true burn is with a HRM.

I sweat so much but that does not mean I am burning more or less then my fitness pal's.....

Hope that helps!

michelegrayson

I would say yes based on my own personal experence. Before I lost 22 lbs I would run/walk for an hour, and burn 600 calories according to my HRM. Today, I run for an hour, go further in my route, but I barely hit 500 calories on my burn. My understanding is that as you get fitter,your body gets more efficient and uses less calories so I have to go longer to get the same caloric burn.

Hope that helps! I'm interested in response from others as well!

supermom66

No way are two people the same. Knowing your Resting heart rate first thing in the morning will help you determine what your target heart rate is. Your calorie burn is determined by your weight and age. If you and your friend go on a machine at the gym, enter in the information so the computer can do it all for you! By the end of the workout, you should find that the calculations are different for both of you. The best thing I heard in your post is that you have a fitness partner! Having a friend to work out with keeps you accountable and it's fun! Keep up the good work.

cupotee

I would say yes based on my own personal experence. Before I lost 22 lbs I would run/walk for an hour, and burn 600 calories according to my HRM. Today, I run for an hour, go further in my route, but I barely hit 500 calories on my burn. My understanding is that as you get fitter,your body gets more efficient and uses less calories so I have to go longer to get the same caloric burn.

Hope that helps! I'm interested in response from others as well!

Thanks! This was exactly what I wanted to know. So I guess efficiency DOES decrease caloric burn. Meaning we'll have to up our exercise to achieve the same results as when we were fatter. Bummer

Any other takers?

stormieweather

I would say yes based on my own personal experence. Before I lost 22 lbs I would run/walk for an hour, and burn 600 calories according to my HRM. Today, I run for an hour, go further in my route, but I barely hit 500 calories on my burn. My understanding is that as you get fitter,your body gets more efficient and uses less calories so I have to go longer to get the same caloric burn.

Hope that helps! I'm interested in response from others as well!

Thanks! This was exactly what I wanted to know. So I guess efficiency DOES decrease caloric burn. Meaning we'll have to up our exercise to achieve the same results as when we were fatter. Bummer Any other takers?

Yes, that is the case. The more fit you are, the harder you have to work out to burn the same calories.

supermom66

I didn't catch the hypothetical running partner the day I posted a response. Oops. From my understanding, as you get more fit, you should increase your workout to keep having a good burn of calories. It should become easier too. When I first started the treadmill, I used to sweat like crazy getting to the first 50 calories. Now I break a sweat at the 150 calorie mark. It has only gotten easier in terms of incline. A 10 incline used to be really hard. Now it's not enough. Just keep up the good work!

Thexplodingirl

Yes but this is a good problem to have, no? It's encouraged me to run instead of walking and helps me challenge myself.

But yes, it also does suck. "What do you mean I have to up my game?!"

Azdak

This is a little detailed, but it answers the question:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/calories-burned-during-exercise-it-s-the-intensity-not-the-heart-rate-that-counts-26524